Thanks for sharing Leah Rivka Sand Soetendorp..... In a world on fire, what a blessing to find such beauty. To quote your words, Ma rabu Maasecha. Tomer Devorah (Chapter 2), written by HaRav Moshe Cordevero: “A person should always be guided by the following two crucial principles: “First, he should respect all creatures, recognizing in them the greatness of the Creator, who formed man in His wisdom and Whose wisdom is contained in all creatures. He should realize that all creatures are to be greatly honored, since He Who fashioned things--the Wise and Exalted One--has busied Himself with creating them, and if one despises them, G-d forbid, it affects the honor of their Creator. “This is comparable to an expert craftsman who fashions a vessel with great skill, but when he displays his work to people, one of them mocks and derides it. How angry that craftsman will be, since, by scorning the work of his hands, the critic is belittling his very skill. So too, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, is grieved if any of His creatures are despised. This is the meaning of the posuk ‘Ma Rabu Ma’asecha...--How many are Your works Hashem…’ (Tehillim 104:24). Dovid HaMelech does not say ‘how great’ [Ma Gadlu] but ‘how many’ [Ma Rabu], which demonstrates the importance of all creatures. The posuk indeed continues, ‘You have made them all with wisdom (ibid.).’ Thus, since Your wisdom is involved with each and every one of them…it is proper for man to seek the wisdom in them and not despise them. “Second, one should accustom himself to loving his fellow man in his heart. Even the wicked should be viewed as if they were his brothers. What’s more, he should continue until love for all people is fixed in his heart...as Moshe Rabeinu...said, ‘I wish all the people of G-d were prophets’ (Bamidbar 11:29). And how should he love them? By recalling in his thoughts their good qualities and by covering up their flaws and refusing to see their defects; rather, he should look for their good qualities. He should say to himself, ‘If this poor, loathsome fellow were very rich, how much would I delight in his company, as I delight in the company of so and so. And if he were dressed in handsome garments like so and so, there would be no difference between them. If so, why should he lack honor in my eyes being that he is superior to me...since he is plagued and crushed with poverty and suffering, which cleanse him of sin? Why, then, should I hate him whom the Holy One, Blessed Be He, loves?’ “This way, his heart will turn to the positive side of things, and he will accustom himself to ponder the good qualities we have mentioned.”
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 16:58:54 +0000
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